


Roses

by LindsayIsTheCraic



Series: Canon Compliant/Divergence [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Canon, Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-31 02:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8559367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LindsayIsTheCraic/pseuds/LindsayIsTheCraic
Summary: One for hope. One for love. One for goodbye. All for their story.





	1. One for Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song Roses by Shawn Mendes.
> 
> This is my first time writing in canon, it's new to me, so I hope do it justice!
> 
> Enjoy :)

1:24 am.

The clock on the wall is slowly ticking down the hours until her exam. Each tick represents a second less she has to study. Time was slowly dwindling away.

1:25 am.

Her eyes were drooping closed. The lines on the paper in front of her blurred together. Her notes became sloppier with each stroke of the pencil.

1:26 am.

She had been studying since she woke up at nine that morning. She only took breaks for necessities. She only left her quarters for food. Other than that, she sat her desk, studying.

1:27 am.

A knock on the door jolted her awake. A short glance at the clock gave her a reality check on the time. Who would be at her door at this hour? It was past curfew, no one would be up, let alone at her door.

The scene behind her front door confirmed her thoughts. No one was present except a single rose that laid on the floor. Curiosity spiked into her as she bent over to pick it up.

The red petals were silky beneath her fingertips, fine to the touch. Little water droplets glistened in the light from the Ark. She felt little pricks at her fingertips from the thorns as she twisted it between her fingers. She was in awe.

Roses were rare on the Ark. They were rarely grown as the care for them took extra energy. Once in a great while, usually around Valentine’s Day, they were grown and then sold to the people. That didn’t answer the burning question in Abby’s mind on how it ended up at her doorstep.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a little note card where the rose laid. She picked it up, the smell of the rose drifting into her senses, filling her mind. A little smile spread across her lips as she read the note:

 _And I have to be honest with you baby_  
Tell me if I'm wrong and this is crazy  
But I got you this rose  
And I need to know  
Will you let it die or let it grow?

She examined the empty hall. Who would’ve left a rose and a small note? Along with being rare, roses weren’t cheap. Someone must have used almost a day’s pay for one.

She focused on the rose again. As she twirled it between her fingers, the note played over and over in her mind. A secret admirer? She couldn’t place a face or a name that would go such lengths to impress her.

“Abby Walters.”

At the sudden mention of her name, her gaze was ripped away from the rose and to the advancing form of Marcus Kane. Her mood dampened a little bit as she turned to face him.

They weren’t exactly on bad terms, but they weren’t on the good terms they once stood on before. They were merely acquaintances now, a step down from being good friends. Work had separated them two years back when Marcus announced he would be joining the guard. Losing her best friend, as he had to train in another station for a year, had put a dent in their relationship.

“Kane.”

Marcus had noticed right away when Abby had begun to use his last name instead of his first name. He wondered if she’d ever call him by it again. Using his last name reminded him of the situation they were in. It reminded him of the day he left her for guard training.

“You’re out past curfew,” he told her.

She hid the note behind her back, his eyes watching her movements. She watched his eyes fall on the rose. “Someone knocked on my door,” she replied.

He looked back to her. “I just did my routine sweep. No one is in this hall.”

“Are you implying that I’m lying?”

He let a small smile find its way to his lips. “No,” he said, his tone playful, “but, I do know you’ve been studying all and that you’re probably exhausted.”

Abby didn’t reply; she agreed. Her mind was still reeling with the information she was studying. Her eyes were hurting from the bright light in the halls compared to the tiny desk lamp she owned. Exhaustion hit her like a truck.

“I haven’t had to stop you from causing chaos today,” he continued, “that’s how I know you’ve been studying all day. You should probably go to bed.”

She hated that he left for guard training and cut off ties with her completely for a year. She hated that he still knew her as well as he did. But she mostly hated that he was right.

“Goodnight, Kane.”

He nodded and turned, walking away. “Goodnight, Abby,” he called out over his shoulder.

He rounded the corner and was soon out of sight. Abby looked down to the rose again. The smell filled her senses again, mixing in with the exhaustion that was lingering insider her. She closed her eyes, sinking into the feeling.

The words on the note card flashed behind her eyelids, slowly writing out. They calmed her mind; she felt at ease. The blood flow of the heart wasn’t racing through her mind for the first time that night. She felt at peace.

Marcus was right. She needed a good’s night rest.

Right after she put the rose in a vase.


	2. One for Love

Abby never got tired of it.

She never got tired of the feeling of her skin soaking in the sun. She never got tiring of feeling the wind in her hair. She never got tired of feeling the grass between her fingers.

She also never got tired of spending time with Marcus.

Even if they were on duty, doctor and guardsman, Abby never got tired of every second spent together.

Ever since their defeat of ALIE and somehow managing to escape another nuclear apocalypse, Abby began to enjoy the little moments they shared together more often. You never knew when another enemy was going to streak. You never knew when a flu epidemic would strike camp. You can’t live life in fear of what might be creeping around the corner. You had to enjoy the small moments of happiness while they lasted.

So that’s what Abby did.

They were out in an open field, Abby picking medical flowers talked about in Lincoln’s journal. Marcus insisted that she bring a guard with her and that it be himself. Abby didn’t argue.

She was closer to the tree line of the forest and he was in the open field. She would pause her searching every so often to watch him. She always was in awe of his open heart towards nature. He took in the open space before him, a smile gracing his face. He was at peace.

Seeing him at peace after everything they had endured made her happy. For someone to be that strong, they deserved to be happy. A small smile graced her face as she realized she was a part of that happiness; his happiness.

She returned to her flower searching, the sun beginning to dip behind the tree line. They’d have to return soon, their small moment of quiet ruined. They’d be rushed with new reports of medic status, guard duties, crops, and so on. It’d be back to the role of chancellors.

As she made her way down the path of bushes, she caught a glimpse of a flower that stood out from the rest. She was in awe and disbelief when she saw a rose sprouting from the bush. She forgot about the current flower she was looking for and went over to the rose.

She ran her fingers over the petals, water from the early morning rain still lingering. The smell of rain mixed in with the rose’s unique odor. It flashed a memory in her mind, a small vision of a rose sitting on the floor of the Ark in front of her quarters.

“What is it?” a voice sounded behind her.

Opening her eyes, not realizing they slid shut, she turned around to face Marcus. He was walking towards her from the open field. “I saw you suddenly walk over to this bush. Did you find the flower?”

A small smile graced her lips as she turned back to the bush. “Not exactly,” she told him, stepping aside for him to see.

She looked back to his face to see his reaction. His eyes widened a bit when he noticed the rose. He reached out, letting his fingers fall against the petals. “A rose.”

She nodded. He looked to her with a small smile on his face, matching hers. He looked behind the bush and his expression turned into awe. Hers turned into confusion in response. He didn’t look to her as he whispered, “Roses.”

She followed his gaze and she felt her heart skip a beat. Behind the single rose, bushes beyond bushes were filled with roses. She felt her expression replicate his in awe.

He grabbed her hand, their fingers immediately lacing with each other’s, telling her, “Come on.”

She followed him into the forest and up to the bushes full of roses. She looked at those lined up in front of her and those lined up behind those. Turning to each side, she saw more roses lined up. They were surrounded by them. “There’s so many of them,” she commented.

He was looking at one, it cupped in his hand. He looked to her smiling and said, “It’s weird to see so many of them in one place when we barely had any on the Ark.”

“I don’t think we ever had this much in _total_ on the Ark,” she replied, awe-stricken again as she watched him take the rose off the bush.

Her comment drew a small chuckle from him and she relished in it. _Enjoying the small moments of happiness._

He twirled the rose in his fingers as she examined the scene before her. He had a lingering smile on his face after his laugh. His posture was relaxed, mind focused on the rose in his fingers. Abby lived for these moments; she would never forget them.

“And I have to be honest with you baby,” his voice slowly sang, breaking her trance.

The words struck her in the heart, triggering another memory of a note card on the floor of the Ark in front of her quarters. The cursive words burned in her mind, replicating his soft voice.

He was facing her now, the rose still twirling in his fingers. His small smile had turned into a small smirk. _He knows._ “Tell me if I'm wrong and this is crazy,” his voice sang out. It was warm like honey against her skin. It felt like it was wrapping around her with each step he took closer to her.

He stood in front of her now, the rose being the only thing between them. Her heart was pounding in her chest. The next line was already burning in her mind, the cursive script being written out. “But I got you this rose,” he slowly sang as he tilted it towards her, “and I need to know…”

Her hand slowly reached across and took the rose. He let it go, his hand covering hers as it clasped around the stem. They never broke eye contact.

“Will you let it die or let it grow?”

His voice trailed off at the end as he sang the last line. The words faded from her mind as his voice trailed into silence. Only the sound of nature and her pounding heart could be heard.

“It was you,” she finally got out.

A playful glint flickered in his eyes as his lips twitched into a smile. “Are you referring to all those years ago back on the Ark?”

“It was you!” She lightly hit his chest with her free hand as he smiled more broadly. “You were the only one in the hall that night. Why didn’t I figure that out sooner?”

He shrugged as he twirled the rose in her grasp. He made eye contact with her again. “The real question is,” he told her, “did you let that rose die or did you grow it?”

Her mind flashed back to that night on the ark. When she had re-entered her quarters she felt the exhaustion she didn’t know was present until moments ago. She had quickly placed the rose in a vase full of cold water before heading to bed.

She took care of it for weeks until it began to fade away. She kept the note card by the vase. Every time she replaced the water or checked up on the rose her eyes would drift to the note card. When the rose finally died, she threw the note card out with it.

Eventually, time went on and she forgot about the whole incident.

Looking up to Marcus now, the love in his eyes, she felt guilty about not realizing the truth until now. But then again, she didn’t feel guilty. Through everything they went through, she wouldn’t change a single thing. It was their story.

She looked down to the rose in her hand, his covering hers. The rose was made up of many petals, each contributing to the whole rose. Even the stem with its thorns was a part of the rose. It was like their story. Each event they endured, each moment they were happy, each loss they suffered, they all added up to form their story.

They lost battles together, they suffered together, but most importantly, they grew together.

She smiled at the realization and looked back into Marcus’ eyes. “Yes,” she admitted, “I did.”

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her. When their lips met, Abby knew she was right when she wouldn’t change any part of their story. She felt at peace; she felt like she was home. This was another petal added on to their rose, another part in their story.

He tucked a loose strand of hair from her ponytail behind her ear when he pulled back. “I love you,” he whispered.

The words on the note card flashed her in mind again. She grinned up to him, holding the rose closer to her heart. “I love you too."


	3. One for Goodbye

The roses were dying. It was like they knew; they knew what had happened.

The one in Abby’s hands, who were shaking not from the winter temperatures, was one of the few still alive. Its red color stood out from the gray desolation of the ground. Its beauty outshone the forest, who was losing its leaves due to the seasonal change. Its petals weren’t crumbling off, unlike how Abby felt inside.

Abby felt numb.

Part of it was due to the winter chill, the other part was due to recent events. Marcus would have been able to calm both down but Marcus wasn’t here. Marcus could never calm those down again.

Sure, Abby could imagine him there, protecting her, but it wouldn’t be the same. He wouldn’t really be there. It wouldn’t be real.

The longer Abby stood in the winter chill, the more she felt her toes numb. Her hands would shake more, her nose would run a little more, and more tears would freeze on their way down her cheeks.

Clarke would come looking for her soon. She had stayed back ten minutes after the funeral had ended to keep her mother company and pay her own respects. She had wanted her mother to go back with her to the lunch hall where everyone would be gathered in his honor.

Abby couldn’t leave yet. She couldn’t say goodbye yet. She needed another moment with him, alone. She needed one more small moment with him before she got up and walked away.

Clarke understood and left her mother at Marcus’ grave. She said she would be back in another ten minutes if her mother hadn’t returned since. She had told her that Marcus wouldn’t have wanted her to get sick over his grave. The little joke made her mother break down into sob as she disappeared from view.

Abby sat now in front of his grave, fingers tracing his name across his tombstone. She then traced his birthday and death date. The memory of that day flashed before her eyes.

_It was oddly uneventful in medical today. There had been the usual guards-in-training coming in for bumps and bruises, but nothing serious had been rushed into her quarters._

_Abby sat her desk, filling out her daily paper work. Usually at this time, Marcus would venture in and complete some with her. He was out on a mission this time however. He had told her he would return at nightfall with Bellamy and a few others._

_What Abby had expected when he said he would be back by nightfall was him walking into camp untouched. A big smile would be gracing his face as he found her in the crowd of people swarming the gate. He would walk over, just like every return from a mission, and give her a kiss. He would hug her tight. They would then head to bed for the night._

_This time it was completely different._

_The gates opened and Abby was greeted by the screaming voice of Bellamy Blake. He was frantically looking around, shouting for medical, for help. Abby was rushing to him but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who Indra and Miller were carrying._

_It was Marcus._

_They were all dirty, every inch of them covered in dirt. None of them looked hurt besides a few cuts and bruises. She couldn’t say the same for the man limp on both of their shoulders. She couldn’t figure of what was wrong with him at first as he seemed just as dirty like the others. When she did a full examination from head to toe, she figured out why he couldn’t walk on his own._

_He was missing his left leg, only his thigh remained on that side. There was a ripped shirt poorly wrapped around the wound to apply pressure. Marcus’ head was limp, not looking up or responding to Bellamy’s loud voice._

_Abby was frozen in place at the scene. People bumped into her as they rushed to the gate to see what had happened. All the noise and yelling canceled out as she zoned out. Everything blurred together except Marcus. Time seemed to slow._

_Abby felt her heartbeat pound in her chest as panic rose in her chest. Reality of the situation was settling in but she couldn’t react. She was frozen in place in fear._

_A familiar figure flashed before her eyes, replacing Marcus. The scene changed from the ground to the Ark. There was a glass door separating where Abby stood and where the other man stood. He had both legs, he wasn’t with anyone else, and he was smiling at her._

_Then he was gone, sucked into the dark oblivion._

_Abby was sucked out of her trance, falling back a few steps. The noise flooded back into her senses. She registered her name in the mess of the yelling and found Bellamy running towards her. Before he could say anything, Abby ordered, “Get him to medical now.”_

_He nodded and ordered people to clear the path. People listened and parted as Indra and Miller walked forward. They were trying to move quickly but they also didn’t want to cause any more damage._

_They eventually made it into the medical station and got him laid down on the bed. Indra and Miller immediately stepped back and let Abby and Jackson step forward. Jackson went to undo the wrapping and apply better one as Abby checked vitals._

_She took his pulse, checked his fever, but froze when she checked his eyes. He was staring back at her, but it felt as if he was staring through her. Time seemed to slow down again as she lowered the light, hand falling against his cheek._

_He seemed lost, confused, and dazed. He was coming to but still seemed to be in shock. It broke her heart._

_She checked back into the real world as she finished checking the vitals. Jackson had finished wrapping the bandage, stopping the bleeding significantly. He was now bombarding the three others with questions for information. As Abby continued her work she caught small pieces of the conversation._

_“A bomb.”_

_“A trap.”_

_“An ambush.”_

_“Couldn’t attend to his wounds until after we killed them all.”_

_“Probably was left alone for five minutes.”_

_Abby’s heart was beating faster as Jackson took down the notes and nodded his head. He told the three thank you and to wait back for a moment. Jackson didn’t return to the table after the three went to retreat to the other side of medical._

_“Jackson, I need you over here,” Abby ordered as she searched through her medical supplies for surgery tools._

_Jackson was looking at the vitals she had taken and looked back at his notes. He was frowning as he set both down. “Abby-”_

_“We need to prep him, Jackson. Help me,” she cut him off. Her voice cracked a little._

_Jackson frowned more. He didn’t respond for a while, watching her. She looked up from where she was working and said, “Jackson put some god damn gloves on and help me.”_

_“Abby-”_

_“Put the gloves on!” Abby yelled, panic seeping into her voice. She was shaking as she tossed them at him. She reached for her tools, going for a numb agent._

_Jackson’s hand, still ungloved, landed across hers. She looked up to him, tears in her eyes. He just looked at her. The message was clear._

_She began to shake more as Jackson took the needle from her hands. She reached for it, pleading, “I can do it, Jackson. You have to let me try.”_

_“Abby-”_

_“I can’t lose him, Jackson! Please!”_

_Abby’s yell and sob that followed silenced the room. Jackson felt a tear escape his right eye as he looked away from her. Bellamy and the others had turned to her from her scream but looked away as she sobbed._

_“Abby.”_

_It wasn’t Jackson that time._

_Abby’s sobs cut short, the tears still fell, as she turned to look at the man on the bed. He was watching her, eyes trying to focus on her. She immediately forgot her fight with Jackson as she turned her full attention to him._

_She clasped his closest hand in both of hers. She found his eyes and held contact with them. “Don’t worry,” she told him, “you’re going to be okay. I’ll fix you up.”_

_He smiled slightly as he watched her. He didn’t say anything for a while, just stared at her. When he finally spoke, he said, “You always were stubborn.”_

_Abby felt her heart break at the little joke and the lack of hope in his voice. He sounded defeated._

_“No, no, no,” Abby shook her head, “This isn’t over, Marcus. I’m going to save you.”_

_Abby let go of his hand with one still clasping his. It was shaking and she was pretty sure she was cutting his circulation off. She turned to Jackson. “Give me the needle.”_

_Jackson flicked his eyes to Marcus for a short moment before looking back to Abby. He didn’t respond nor make a move to hand it over. “Abby,” his voice came out from behind her._

_She ignored it. She held her hand out to Jackson. “Now,” she demanded._

_He didn’t listen again. His eyes looked hurt. He knew what he was doing._

_“Abby,” came the voice again, a little more desperate._

_Abby shoved it out of her mind, focusing on Jackson. “Fine,” she said, “I’ll go get another one.”_

_She moved to stand up but the hand that held hers tightened, keeping her in place. “ **Abby**.” This time it was pleading. It broke her heart._

_She slowly sat back down, turning to face him. His face looked broken, in his eyes were tears that didn’t fall. She whispered to him, “I can do it.”_

_He smiled, this time one tear escaping. “You and I both know how great of a doctor you are, Abby,” he told her. He shook his head, another tear falling. “This time there’s nothing you can do.”_

_Tears fell down her cheeks as she choked out, “At least let me try.”_

_He shook his head. “Abby, it’s pointless.”_

_“You don’t know that!”_

_She was fully sobbing now. She was on her knees, tears running down her face. She shook her head, whispering, “You don’t know that.”_

_“I do,” he answered, “and so do you.”_

_She opened her mouth to argue but he shook his head. He looked away from her a moment, staring at the ceiling. “As much fun as it was on the Ark, I’d like to not spend my last moments with you fighting.”_

_Abby let out a forced laugh through her sob. She held his hand tighter as he looked back to her. She made eye contact with him. “You don’t deserve this. You were so strong, you **are** so strong. You survived too much to have your life end like this. You deserve to live, Marcus.”_

_“Do you know who gave me that strength?” he asked. She looked to him, expecting the answer as he told her, “You.”_

_She felt her heart break more as more tears escaped. “I did?” she asked._

_He nodded with a small smile. “You challenged me. You fought me. You taught me a fire and fight no one else would have been able to.” His hand held hers tighter. “And for that I’m forever grateful.”_

_Abby could feel the pulse in his wrist slowing down. She panicked inside, her own pulse picking up. “You taught me a lot too,” she confessed. “You gave me strength in situations I didn’t think had.”_

_She could feel the pulse slowing more with each passing second. She laced their fingers together, smiling a bit towards him. “Thank you,” she whispered, “for everything.”_

_He smiled more, love shining in his eyes. “I don’t regret any of it,” he told her. “Every moment I spent with you, I relished in it. In the moment and in you.”_

_Her heart broke, thinking back to all their small moments she promised she would never forget. She remembered when he returned from the grounders’ capture. She remembered the eight hour walk back from Mount Weather where he held her hand the entire time. She remembered waking up every morning next to him from then on. She remembered when they first found the roses in the forest. She remembered the following months constructing a rose garden in Arkadia. She remembered watching him through the medical station window as he attended to the rose garden._

_The tears falling down her cheeks were steady by now as she shook her head. “This might sound selfish, but I don’t want you to leave me,” she confessed._

_He was watching her, his heart breaking in his eyes. “I don’t want to leave to you,” he confessed, his own voice cracking, “but I’ll always be with you.”_

_“How?”_

_He used his other hand to point to his own heart. She followed his finger before making eye contact with him again. “And inside yours,” he told her._

_She smiled slightly, feeling content for the first time in the past fifteen minutes. It was quiet between them as she made patterns against his hand with her thumb. He watched her, eyes glazed over in awe and adoration._

_He broke the silence by suddenly saying, “I’m really glad I left you that rose in front of your quarters.”_

_Abby looked up from their hands to meet his eyes. She smiled slightly, the memory coming into mind. “I’m glad you did too,” she responded._

_“That’s another place I’ll live on in for you,” he told her. She looked to him in confusion, thinking he meant the Ark. “The roses,” he explained._

_Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes flew to the single rose in a vase on her desk a few feet away. He brought her a new rose every month to put on her desk. He always wrote the same message on a small note card:_

_And I have to be honest with you baby_  
_Tell me if I'm wrong and this is crazy_  
 _But I got you this rose_  
 _And I need to know_  
 _Will you let it die or let it grow?_

_It became a small inside joke between the two of them. Every time he would bring it, besides having it written on the note card, he would sing those words in his soft voice. Abby realized how much she’d miss that moment._

_He was still watching her. “Promise me you’ll keep that garden alive,” he pleaded._

_She looked backed to him, her attention being drawn from the rose. “Of course,” she said, “I promise.”_

_He smiled, the light in his eyes beginning to fade away. She began to panic but told herself to calm down. She leaned over a bit, seeing him fading away from consciousness. “I love you, Marcus Kane,” she told him._

_He smiled slightly, struggling to keep his eyes open. He whispered, voice hoarse, “I love you, Abby Griffin.”_

_She closed the space separating them as both of their eyes slid shut. She kissed him gently but with all the love she had for him. She could feel his last strength being used to kiss back, to show her how much he loved her._

_She already knew though. From the first rose to the last rose, she knew how much he loved her._

_She finally pulled back from what seemed like forever. She opened her eyes slowly as she stared down to his motionless face. No breath came from his lips. No pulse raced in his wrist. Only her tears flowed from her eyes, down her cheeks, and onto his face._

_He was gone._

Her finger finished tracing the last number. Her arm fell limply to her side. Under those dates were the words: BELOVED SON AND CHANCELLOR. Arkadia’s symbol was engraved along with the words, MAY WE MEET AGAIN, under that.

A single tear dropped from Abby’s cheek and onto the fresh dirt of his grave. Flowers surrounded the backside of the tombstone. Abby twirled the rose in her fingers searching for a place to set it.

She had spoken at the service along with Bellamy. She doesn’t know how either of them held back the flood of tears and emotions. Maybe it was because she cried every night before the service. Maybe it was because she didn’t sleep a single night after what happened. Maybe it was because it didn’t seem real.

She didn’t want to believe he was gone.

Reality set in after the service. She had been lead outside to where his burial would begin. She sat through the whole service, eyes glued to the casket. She finally realized Marcus wasn’t coming back.

He wasn’t going to be there by her side when she woke up in the morning. He wasn’t going to bring her coffee in medical anymore. He wasn’t going to help soothe her nightmares that still lingered.

He wasn’t coming home. He was gone.

Another tear fell down her face and onto the grave. “Marcus…” she whispered. She looked down to her rose. She felt her head spin a little as she reached her into her pocket. Rummaging around for a few seconds, her hand emerged with his chancellor’s pin.

“This is still yours,” she said as she unclasped it.

She pushed the pin through the stem of the rose and reclasped it. She smiled a bit as she studied her work, twirling the rose in her fingers. Her own matching chancellor’s pin glistened in the remaining sunlight.

She looked to his name on his grave. “I made you a promise,” she said aloud. “I made you a promise to keep the rose garden alive.”

She smiled a small smile for a short second before it broke down into a small frown. More tears dripped down her cheeks and onto the soil below her. “But…” she whispered, “but I don’t know how I can if every time I see a rose I think of you.”

Another small sob escaped her as she wiped tears from her eyes. She shook her head, taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. She looked up into the sky, falling silent for a moment.

She looked down to the rose in her hand, her thumb running over his chancellor pin. She sat like for a while, watching the rose and repeating the same gesture. She finally said, “How do I keep something alive that only brings me pain and sadness when I think of you?”

A low wind brushed past her, making her shiver. She pulled her jacket closer and tighter around her. She looked to his tombstone again and then back to the rose. The small memory of him singing to her in the forest played in her mind.

A small smiled formed on her lips. It was a good memory, one of many they shared over the years involving the roses. She thought hard studying the rose in her hand. She mumbled to herself, but to Marcus more, “You said you’d live on in the roses.”

She looked to his name and then back to Arkadia. There had been many bad memories over the years since they had landed on the ground. They had been bombed; they had been chipped. They faced nuclear radiation again. There were many things that triggered memories of those bad times.

She looked back down to the rose, chewing her lip in thought. Turning back to his tombstone she told him, “Even if the roses….if they remind me of what happened a few days ago…” she could hear her voice cracking again, “I know the good moments will outweigh any one bad moment.”

“It’ll be tough,” she admitted to herself, “but I know I can do it. You believed in me after Mount Weather, after ALIE…after everything you still believed I could push on and be a strong person.”

She smiled, imagining all the times he had given her small pep talks over the years. Another tear escaped her eye as she smiled more to herself. “I’m going to keep my promise. I won’t be alone. Not when I water it; not when I plant it. I’m going to get through this.”

She smiled more while looking at his name. “And even though you’re not here with me anymore,” she could feel the lump in her throat grow, “I know you’ll still be by my side.”

She looked back to the rose, more tears falling. Her eyes rested once again on his chancellor pin. She ran her finger over it once more. “Whether it be through my heart or through the roses, I know I’ll get through this just like how we got through everything else.”

“Abby!”

She turned around enough to see Indra leaning against the lunch hall posts. A small, sad smile adorned her face. She waved her in, telling her, “The reception is ready to start. Plus, your daughter said you had another five minutes before she dragged you inside. Thought I’d give you a warning.”

Abby smiled, chuckled for the first time in days, and nodded back to Indra. Indra walked back to the doors but waited by them for her.

Abby turned back to his grave for the last time. She kissed his chancellor’s pin and set the rose down in front of his grave. More tears fell down her cheeks as she let go of the rose. “Together,” she whispered.

Abby made her way back to Indra who offered a small smile of comfort and lead her inside. As the doors shut behind them, Abby looked over her shoulder to see the pin glisten in the last gleam of sunlight. A small smile graced her face.

She would keep her promise. She would let them grow.


End file.
